Manipulations
by Sorciere
Summary: "Black and white merge into gray, the lines of friend and foe swept away, past and present together play." (FINAL PART UPLOADED.)
1. Control

Disclaimer: "Eat my shorts!" --- Bart Simpson  
Title: Control (Manipulations I)  
Author: Sorcieré (hack_heaven@usa.net)   
Rating: PG-13, I guess.  
Series: Manipulations (well...maybe, anyway *g*)  
Pairing: None so far. Possibly R/L later (duh!)  
Archive: My own page, WRFA, others - go ahead, as long as you mail me the addy ;-)  
Summary: Who is really in control?  
  
A/N: I have only one thing to say to my sillyfic muse who demanded attention and that dark plotbunny that ran away in the middle of its goddamn fic: "Nay-na-na-na-na!"  
  
_..._Rogue's thoughts  
'...' Erik's thoughts  
  
To Susan K., reviewer extraordinary :-)  
  
***  
  
Control  
  
***  
  
To put it simply, it was a matter of concentration. Concentration and the ability to remember the details.  
  
In the case of the paperclip in Rogue's hand, those detail were the countless molecules of the metal. She concentrated on those molecules until they felt like an extension of her poisonous body, until their apparent simplicity revealed a minuscule world of complicated wonders and unpredicted contradictions.  
  
Then she smiled slightly and moved those molecules, first one by one, then in small clusters, until the paperclip bent and bowed to her will.  
  
It was, she decided - not without a little amusement - a lot like manipulating the world around her.   
With the metal, it was the molecules that let her control the paperclip. In the real world, it was the little things - what she said, the way she acted - that enabled her to shape her surrounding as she saw fit.  
  
It was the first lesson Erik had taught her: freedom - mental as well as physical - required control.   
  
First and foremost control of herself, of her body, her thoughts and emotions. If she couldn't control herself, she would never be able to control anyone else.  
  
The second lesson had been more of a realization: She didn't owe the X-Men anything. Not her loyalty, not her gratitude, not anything.  
  
She could still remember that conversation with mind-Erik. She'd made sure to remember it, just in case she ever felt any doubt regarding that second lesson.  
  
'And just why do you owe them your gratitude?' mind-Erik had inquired from his little corner of her mind.  
  
_They saved my life! And Logan's, too! They've given me a place to live, clothes to wear, food to eat..._ Rogue had explained, and then trailed off as she felt Erik shake his head slowly.  
  
'No, my dear. You don't own them anything. They saved your life? If it hadn't been for them, you and you clawed companion would never have been on the statue. And the fact that they offered you shelter? They do it out of fear, Rogue. They are afraid of you. To them, you are what your name implies - a rogue. A question mark, a wild card, an unknown factor in their organized, little world. They fear your power because they know it could kill them. They fear you because you are not as naïve as the rest of the students.'  
  
_But...Cyclops - he's dangerous, too. And Storm, and Jean..._ Rogue had asked in complete confusion.   
  
'Charles knows that they - the X-Men - are completely loyal to him. They would do anything he said without asking a single question. And so would the students. They trust him - and each other - completely. You, however, ask questions. You do not trust easily. You have seen the real world and know that violence is inevitable. You are dangerous, my dear. And that is why they let you stay. They would rather keep you in a place where they could keep an eye on you, than risk having you as an enemy.'  
  
_They - Cyclops and Storm - saved Logan and me in Canada. They got me outta that burning truck after ya had Sabretooth attack us. Yer the one who tried to kill me...several times, I might add._  
  
Erik had sighed wearily at the return of their old argument.  
  
'You have seen my memories, Rogue. You understand my reasons for what I did that night on the Statue. But Sabretooth wasn't trying to kill you in Canada. He was supposed to bring you - both of you - back alive.'  
  
_I...I understand what ya tried to do with that machine and I'm not angry...well, not anymore, at least....but...Sabretooth almost killed both Logan and me. He probably would have if the X-Men hadn't shown up._  
  
'No, my dear. Because without the X-Men, I would never have found you.' Erik admitted.  
  
_What?!_ Rogue demanded.  
  
'I only found you because Raven - Mystique - infiltrated the school, disguised as Robert Drake. The X-Men knew where you were. Raven found several files with your last known locations and the most likely route you would follow and gave them to me. The X-Men knew about you for months, my dear. They knew about you and the constant battle for survival on the streets, and still they didn't come for you.'  
  
_Yer lying! They wouldn't do something like that!_  
  
'No, Marie, I am not lying. Look at my memories. The X-Men never cared about you. They let you stay on the streets until you proved to dangerous to remain unleashed. I am truly sorry, but you deserve to know the truth.'  
  
"No!" Marie had yelled and slammed her hands into the walls. The sharp pain had made her gasp, but it had cleared her mind. She had looked at her hand and watched as the last remains of Logan's healing factor slowly repaired the damage done to her flesh and bone.  
  
Erik's words had made too much sense. Way too much sense.  
  
_Fuck them. Fuck them all. They can go to Hell for all I care!_ she had snapped with her mental voice.  
  
Erik had just nodded slightly.  
  
'And that, my dear, was your second lesson.'  
  
So Rogue had steeled her heart against the X-Men, playing along as the grateful student and never letting her true feelings show.  
  
It was only now, six months after the incident on Ellis Island, that they had started to trust her. They no longer treated her like she was a snake in a bird's nest, but instead they acted like they really cared.   
  
The trust was a result of Erik's third lesson: To gain their trust, she would have to act like them. She would have to act like she wholly believed in their vision of a utopia where humans and mutants could live peacefully side by side.   
  
_Utopia, indeed,_ Rogue had decided when she had learned the meaning of the word. _Trust the X-Men to dream of a place that in Greek means 'Nowhere'._  
  
One of the best advises Erik gave her while she learned to act like the others, was actually the one she thought would never work.  
  
'Play the role of the martyr, my dear.'  
  
_Yer shitting me, right?_  
  
'No, I most certainly am not. I am not saying that you should do the whole Joan of Arc routine, but the small things..._  
  
_Like what?_ Rogue had asked suspiciously.  
  
'When you can't sleep, get up. Roam the hallways. Sit on the balcony and watch the stars. They will believe that you are still plagued by horrible nightmares that are not even your own.'  
  
_Well...I *do* have nightmares._ Rogue had corrected, slightly confused.  
  
'But not very often. They will think that you are bravely trying to go on despite a burden that would have broken a lesser person.'  
  
_Yer enjoying this, aren't ya?_ Rogue had accused him.  
  
Erik had actually smiled.  
  
'Quite frankly, yes, my dear. I am.'  
  
_What about...?_  
  
'Charles and Jean cannot read your mind because of all the conflicting personalities, so they will only see what we want them to see.'  
  
_Cool._  
  
'Indeed.'  
  
_So, what else? Roam the hallways..._  
  
'...Draw. Paint.'  
  
_Okay, yer lost me again._  
  
'I know for a fact that you used to draw while you still lived at home. Well, draw. Paint. Chose the most horrifying scenes from your nightmares and draw them. Then 'accidentally' leave them where people might see them - not too obvious, though. Put a few in one of your books and let them 'fall out' when you put the books away after class. When you pick them up, act like you are afraid that someone would see them, but do it slow enough for those around - preferably the X-Men - to get a quick look. Or you could 'accidentally' leave a drawer with some paintings in it half-open.'  
  
_Got it, sugar._ Rogue had acknowledged with a grin.  
  
'And finally - play the role of the untouchable girl to perfection. Act like you've accepted the fact that you will never touch anyone again. But do be careful. We wouldn't want to overdo it, Rogue.'  
  
Rogue had nodded and decided to give this crazy strategy a try.  
  
It had worked better than even Erik had expected. The X-Men started to act differently. They started to see Rogue as a possible student and not a wild card. When she walked down the hallways at night, she sometimes met Cyclops or Storm or Jean and they would always ask her if something was wrong.  
  
And Rogue, by now able to juggle dozens of stories without slipping, would give them a slightly haunted smile and insist that everything was okay.   
  
Scott would find her surrounded by paint and brushes and frown when she quickly hid the painting she was doing.  
  
Storm or Jean would catch an 'accidental' glimpse of drawing that showed Nazi death-camps or laughing doctors or two people fighting in a cage. When they asked Rogue about it, she would simply shake her head and say that it was nothing, really.  
  
And finally the X-Men decided that she wasn't really a threat, but just a scared, young girl who had been through too much and was afraid that even Xavier's school would turn out to be a trap of some sort. And they would support her and preach for her about peaceful co-existence because they saw a possible future team-mate in her.  
  
Meanwhile, Rogue waited. Logan would eventually return and until then, she and Erik would just have to continue her masquerade. They were in control now, and they wanted it to remain that way.  
  
"Rogue?"  
  
Rogue looked up from her contemplation of the solitary paperclip and realised that the lesson was over and the students had left.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Summers?"  
  
Cyclops sent her a slightly worried look.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Rogue nodded quickly.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she said and grabbed her books. "See ya later, Mr. Summers."  
  
Cyclops nodded and watched her leave. Then he looked at the table she'd just left and noticed the bent paperclip. He picked it up and looked at it, then shrugged and tossed it out, never once noticing the fundamental changes that had taken place beneath the smooth surface.  
  
  
***  
End  
***  



	2. Realizations

Disclaimer: "Eat my shorts!" --- Bart Simpson  
Title: Realizations (Manipulations II)  
Author: Sorcieré (hack_heaven@usa.net)   
Rating: PG-13  
Series: Manipulations  
Pairing: R/L  
Archive: My own page, WRFA, others - go ahead, as long as you mail me the addy ;-)  
Summary: Logan faces his past and all the realizations that come with it.  
  
***  
  
Realizations  
  
***  
  
In the six months that had passed after he had left Xavier's school, Logan had learned a lot of things. Some from the half-destroyed documents he found at Alkali Lake, others had come to him as realizations, some more welcome than others.  
  
The documents hadn't mentioned his real name - that pissed Logan off. And a pissed off Logan is something one should generally avoid, a lesson which several fighters had learned the hard way.   
  
The documents *did* mention that he had been used as sort of a remote controlled killer. That also pissed Logan off, and even more fighters learned the aforementioned lesson.  
(Although it wasn't the 'killing' part that pissed him off. He'd killed people before, and thirty-two more wouldn't be that big a deal. It was more the fact that someone had controlled him that made him want to destroy something.)  
  
The documents also said that he had been born in 1931, which did absolutely nothing to improve Logan's mood. He'd thought that he was around forty-five or fifty...but more than seventy fucking years old? At that point Logan decided he better move on to another town before he accidentally destroyed something important - like the bar or the motel.  
  
So Logan hit the road - not literally, although he *was* pissed enough to consider it.  
  
He rented a small cabin far away from any other human being and went into seclusion. He spent several months reading and re-reading the documents until he had them memorized. Every sentence, every word, every little letter, until he was absolutely sure there was nothing he had missed.  
  
And then he read them again.  
  
Those documents provided more questions than answers. Yes, he'd learned *some* things about his past, but it wasn't very much. Most of the important questions still remained unanswered - just *who* had done it? Were there others? Did he once have a family, now long gone? A wife, a brother...a child?  
  
Those questions returned every time he even looked at those documents and added to his already very bad mood.  
  
After a few weeks where his mood daily went from pissed to sad and back again, Logan began to go on long hikes in the woods, just to get away from it all. It gave him the time to think things through - his life, his past, and most importantly, his future. To Logan, it was a strange feeling to suddenly think about the future. For the last fifteen years he had focused on his past, always searching for any clues to what happened. During those years, he hadn't considered his future - the past was more important as each day would make the puzzle a bit harder to solve. The future was something vague - it was something that really didn't mean anything to him, mostly because he had no one to worry about and thus no real commitments. He had the freedom to go wherever he wanted and he had all the time in the world to do it in.  
  
Now he suddenly had some - although not all - of the answers he wanted, and he suddenly found himself wondering about the usefulness of what he was doing.  
  
It was one of the first realizations that came to him during those hikes and it turned his world upside down. The search for his past had, in some strange way, been his goal, his reason to keep going. Now he suddenly had a pretty good idea of what had been done to him and just how old he way. And it made him realize something: Any family he might have had would be long gone by now.   
  
His parents - and most likely any possible wife as well - would be dead. If he had any children, they could quite easily be fifty years old.   
  
Anyone who knew him before he was captured would be either gone or very old. Was there really any reason to continue his search? That Logan - if Logan even *was* his real name - had died a long time ago. And did his real name really matter anymore?   
No one was left to remember it...and no one was left to remember the real him.   
  
And then the second realization hit him like a punch in the stomach.  
  
He had no past. No family, no memories, no roots, no home.  
  
And for the first time Logan knew what it felt like to be completely alone.  
  
***  
  
It took him a long time to accept those first realizations.   
  
The first long weeks, he vented his anger on the surrounding trees, cutting and slashing deep into those ancient giants until he sunk to the ground, exhausted and left with only a feeling of indifference.   
  
Suddenly his main goal in life had disappeared and he found himself wondering why he even bothered to go on. Then he remembered his nightmares and his anger returned with renewed strength and he wanted nothing but revenge. An eye for an eye, a life for a life - blood for blood.  
  
For several weeks he went through an emotional roller coaster, one moment sinking into deep depression, the next, feeling his blood burn in eagerness of the revenge he would get.  
  
The lifeline that finally pulled him in was something he would never have imagined.  
  
One day, he had unconsciously reached up to touch his dog tags and suddenly remembered that they weren't there. They hung around the delicate neck of a teenage girl in Westchester.  
  
And suddenly he remembered that he *did* care about someone. Not Scooter or Chuck or Storm - not even Jean, desirable as she was. No, the face he saw when he closed his eyes and remembered, was the face of a young woman - girl - who had been dealt as bad a hand as he had.  
He'd cared enough about her to give her his only link to a now meaningless past, and he had looked into her big, brown eyes and promised to return.  
  
He had given her his word and despite his rather questionable morals, he always kept his word.  
  
She cared enough about him to want him to stay, and he cared enough about her to promise to return.  
  
Logan quite suddenly realized that he had found the bridge that connected his present and his future, and that he already had taken the first, hard steps.   
The fact that someone cared about him had been the first step. The realization that he cared about her, too, was the second - and equally important - step.  
  
And now he stood at the edge of the abyss and faced his two choices. He could walk back to the mental abyss and continue his current life. It would most likely lead to his destruction, mentally or physically, but at that point he wouldn't care.   
  
Or he could choose to care, about his future, his life, the girl with the tags, and walk across that long and rather intimidating mental bridge.   
  
One month ago, he would have picked the first and easiest option. Now, though...he had promised to return, and he was sure as Hell gonna keep that promise.  
  
Logan returned to the cabin, put the documents away and slowly prepared to leave his secluded cabin.  
  
***  
  
Six months after he had left Xavier's mansion - and five months after he found the documents - Logan arrived in a small town in northern Canada. Physically, he looked the same - how could he not? - but underneath the hard exterior was a changed man. He was still the immortal fighter and certified badass Wolverine, but that part was now kept firmly in check by the more human side. He was Wolverine, but he was also Logan who'd realized that the past was long gone. Logan, who for the first time in his life knew what it felt like to miss someone. Logan, who suddenly found his solitary life far too lonely.  
  
He spent most of that evening in the local bar, drinking and smoking, and for the first time really noticing the loneliness of the other bar patrons. He watched them for a long time before he finally pulled out the business card Xavier had given him all those months ago. Then he ordered another beer and continued his brooding.   
  
When he looked back on that night in the years that followed, Logan couldn't remember just how it had happened, but several hours - and beers - later, he found himself at his motel-room with a phone in his hand and the business card on the table.  
  
Before he had the chance to change his mind, though, someone picked up the phone in the other end.  
  
"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, how may I help you?" a female voice asked.  
  
"I...ehh...is Marie there?" Logan fumbled, suddenly not so sure that this was a good idea.  
  
"Marie?" the voice asked and Logan could almost hear the frown. He sighed.  
  
"Rogue. Ya know, brown hair, white streaks..."  
  
"Oh! Sure, hang on for a moment."  
  
Logan heard her cover the phone and then a yell that was very clear to someone with enhanced hearing.   
  
"Hey, Jubes! Could you tell Rogue that some guy on the phone wants to speak with her?"  
  
The girl then turned her attention to Logan again.  
  
"She'll be here in a moment," she said and put the phone down.  
  
Logan waited impatient for a long minute until he heard the sound of someone picking up the phone.  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
The voice was definitely Marie's, and Logan found himself smiling.  
  
"Hey, Marie."  
  
"Oh, my God! Logan?!"   
  
The joy in Marie's voice was the only proof Logan needed that she really had missed him. It was actually one of the reasons why he'd called her - he wanted, no, *needed* to know that she really did care about him. He was still standing on that mental bridge above the abyss, and he would prefer to go back voluntarily rather than to feel it crumble beneath his feet.  
  
But Marie's voice proved to him that the bridge was stronger than ever and that he only had to gather the courage to continue his journey.  
  
And with her to guide him, how could he not?  
  
"Yeah, darlin', it's me. Figured I'd give ya a call and find out how yer holdin' up."  
  
"Me? Well...the Professor hasn't figured out how to control my skin, but he keeps tryin'. I'm doin' okay in school and I'm sharin' a room with two other girls. They're kinda cool."   
  
Marie paused and Logan got the distinct impression that she was hiding something.  
  
"But let's find something else to talk about. What 'bout yer search, sugar? Didya find anything?"  
  
Logan sighed.  
  
"Yeah...yeah, I did. Wasn't much, though. Only a few documents and stuff."  
  
"I'm sorry Logan. I know how much ya wanted to find some answers," Marie said in a slightly sad voice.   
  
Logan suddenly realized that she probably really *did* know. She had him in her head, didn't she? He shrugged, even though Marie couldn't see it.  
  
"'S okay. Not even sure I wanna find out the rest of the answers anymore," he explained.  
  
Marie was silent for a long moment.  
  
"That bad?"   
  
Logan sighed.  
  
"It's kinda complicated."  
  
"Logan, listen to me. Whatever happened...it wasn't yer fault. Yer didn't do anything wrong. If...if ya need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay?" Marie said and Logan could hear her concern shine through her words.  
  
"I know. Thanks, Marie," he said, and for once he actually felt genuine gratefulness.  
  
"Are...are yer gonna come back now?" Marie asked him.  
  
Logan paused.  
  
"I'm..." he began, but trailed off, unable to find the words he was looking for.  
  
"Logan, I...I miss you. Please come back?"  
  
Logan was taken aback by the raw emotions in her voice - sadness, loneliness and not a small bit of longing. And the feeling he'd had that something was wrong returned with renewed strength.   
  
Something had hurt his Marie, and now she was reaching out for his help. And at that moment, Logan decided that he would do everything in his power to make things right again.  
  
"Yeah, Marie. I'm coming home. Should be there in a week or so."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
It was two simple words but with them, Marie had told Logan far more than most people could in a whole day. And he wondered how long it had been since she had last said those words - and meant them. Those speculations made him even more determined to get back to her as fast as possible.  
  
"Anytime, darlin'. Listen, I gotta go now. An' Marie...I miss ya, too."  
  
"Be careful, sugar, okay?"  
  
"I will."  
  
"Good," Marie said with a smile. "See ya soon, Logan. G'bye."  
  
"'Bye, Marie."  
  
For a long moment Logan just stood there and looked at the now silent phone.  
  
Then he packed his things and headed for Westchester.  
  
***  
End (or actually - To Be Continued!)  
***  
  
Join the Madness!   
Sorcieré's Madhouse - www.wolverineandrogue.com/sorciere  



	3. Exit Morality

Disclaimer: "Eat my shorts!" --- Bart Simpson  
Title: Exit Morality (Manipulations III)  
Author: Sorcieré (hack_heaven@usa.net)   
Rating: PG-13  
Series: Manipulations  
Pairing: R/L  
Archive: My own page, WRFA, others - go ahead, as long as you mail me the addy ;-)  
Summary: Exit morality, enter freedom.  
  
To Ruben, who does a very good job of living up to his nickname 'Little Devil'...   
  
'...' Erik's thoughts  
_..._ Rogue's thoughts  
  
***  
  
Exit Morality  
  
***  
  
When Rogue went to bed that night, she was happier than she'd been for months. Logan was coming back, and he was coming back for *her*.   
  
Not Jean, not Storm, but her.   
  
He hadn't said it with words but his voice had made it clear to her: He missed her...and he cared about her.  
  
The feeling that someone really cared about her was strangely alien after six months at Mutant High. Sure, the X-Men cared about her, but only as long as she was still a possible future teammate, a deadly weapon they could control.  
  
Logan, though, hadn't seen or heard from her for half a year and yet he still cared about her. The thought made Rogue smile.  
  
'I understand your clawed companion is on his way back,' Erik noticed, in a deliberate off-hand manner.  
  
_Yeah,_ Rogue replied dreamily.   
  
Erik nodded slightly. Rogue couldn't *see* the motion, but she could sense the feelings that accompanied it. They knew each other very well by now.  
  
'Do you love him?'  
  
There was no hesitation in Rogue's reply.   
  
_More than anything._  
  
Erik nodded again.  
  
'Judging from his voice and words when he called you, I would think that he feels the same way about you.'  
  
Rogue just smiled.  
  
_I know._  
  
Erik paused, choosing his next words carefully.  
  
'Rogue, don't you ever wish that you could touch him - touch anyone you wanted - without fear?'  
  
_Ya know damn well that I do! Or didya just wanna rip up some old wounds?_ Rogue replied bitterly.  
  
'I didn't mean to upset you, child, believe me. I asked because...because I might know a way for you to control you skin.'  
  
Rogue sat straight up in her bed, torn between fury and hope. She wanted so badly to believe him, but both the Professor and Jean had so far failed to find a way for her to gain control. They had even said that she would most likely never be able to touch again. And now Erik's words...Damn! Why was he giving her false hopes? Her fury returned with renewed strength.   
  
_Yer lying! I don't believe ya!_  
  
'You know I can't lie to you.'  
  
_But ya *can* hide things from me. And right now yer hiding yer memories from the times ya touched me._  
  
'Then let me prove it.'  
  
Rogue gasped.  
  
_Ya want me to touch someone? I don't want another person in my head, damnit!_  
  
'And it will not happen. Trust me, child. When I touched you, I could control the amount of power you absorbed. I can teach you to do the same.'  
  
_I..._  
  
'Let me show you, Rogue. Let me prove that I *am* speaking the truth.'  
  
_I..._ Rogue paused, then relented. After all, what did she have to lose? _Okay...Okay. But...just a quick touch. I don't wanna deal with another personality._  
  
'Of course.'  
  
Rogue took a deep breath and lowered the mental shields that separated her own personality from the rest of them. She felt a slight brush of mental fingers in her mind as Erik carefully - but quite confidently - took control. His touch was strangely gentle and, to Rogue's surprise, not as unpleasant as she had expected.  
  
Erik made her body take a step forward, but instead of feeling trapped in her own mind, Rogue just felt strangely...detached. She saw - and felt - her body move but had no control over it. Instead, she found herself watching Erik's movements with a certain calculating coldness.   
  
It scared her a bit.   
  
Not the fact that she was technically at the mercy of the man who tried to kill her, but the strange coldness, the indifference, along with the sudden lack of morality she felt. Or actually, it wasn't a *lack* of morality, but more a deliberate choice to ignore it, a profound disrespect for the human society. It was something she'd only seen once before - in Erik's mind - and she desperately hoped that the indifference was merely a result of the lack of control. Another part of her mind, though, the more rational one, knew at some level that this was not the case.  
  
The coldness had always been a part of her. The recent events had merely brought it to the front.  
  
And suddenly Rogue felt a very real fear for what she might be capable of with these newfound emotions.  
  
Meanwhile, Erik had stopped outside a door and now just watched as Rogue tried to cope with her rather terrifying discovery. Finally he spoke up.  
  
'You look at this the wrong way, child. This...lack of humanity's so-called ethics will not make you a killer. In fact, it might very well save your life.'  
  
_I'm not...oh, God, what's happening to me?_ Rogue whimpered.  
  
'I believe it is called "growing up"...you just take it a bit further than most, Rogue,' Erik replied.  
  
_I don't wanna end up like ya!_  
  
Erik sighed.  
  
'And you won't. We all make our own choices, my dear. And we all have to face the consequences of those choices. I've made my choice and I paid the price.'  
  
He paused.  
  
'There is no such things as 'good' or 'evil', 'right' or 'wrong'. They are merely different ways to describe the same things. Some would describe my actions as right, others as wrong.'  
  
_And what's *yer* opinion?_ Rogue asked on a whim. She'd never cared much for philosophy, but over the months she'd found that discussing these things with Erik had helped her keep a firm grip   
on her sanity.   
  
Erik shrugged mentally.  
  
'I would call them necessary.'  
  
He motioned at the door.   
  
'Shall we?'  
  
_Wait!_ Rogue ordered as a sudden suspicion entered her mind. _Ya knew about this, didn't ya? Ya knew about this all along! That's why ya even bothered to help me in the first place!_  
  
It was one of the questions that had nagged Rogue since Erik had taken her under his wings, so to speak. Why had he bothered to help someone who wasn't even on the same side as him? While he couldn't lie to her, he *could* hide certain thoughts and memories, and that was exactly what he'd done whenever she'd tried to find some answers.  
  
'Yes,' Erik replied truthfully. 'I did. I needed you to discover this by yourself, though. But it wasn't the only reason why I decided to help you, child. Yes, you live under Charles' roof, but you are still a mutant. I came to the conclusion that it would be better to help you survive rather than just watch the X-Men cause your destruction.'  
  
_They wouldn't do that._  
  
'No, not deliberately. But inadvertently, yes. You would most likely have ended up as an X-Man and spend the weekends saving the world.' The last part was added with a heavy dose of sarcasm. 'You would often have been wounded during those missions and would probably have ended up dead as a result of those wounds.'  
  
His words caught Rogue by surprise. In his own, veiled way Erik had just told her that he did in fact care about her. Unlike the X-Men, he had looked beyond her potential and her powers and seen someone worth protecting.  
  
Rogue wanted to say something, anything, but found herself unable to form any words that could describe how she felt.  
  
'Well, my dear? Shall we?' Erik asked once more and nodded at the door.   
  
_Yeah...let's do it._ Rogue agreed. _And Erik...thanks._  
  
Erik felt the emotions that accompanied that last word and just smiled slightly before he opened the door. Rogue blinked. They were standing in Kitty and Jubilee's room, and she hadn't even noticed that before now.   
  
They crossed the room and stopped next to Kitty's bed.  
  
_Soooo...how are we gonna do this?_ Rogue asked uncertainly.  
  
'Watch, my dear. Watch and learn.'  
  
It started as a tingling at her fingertips, a faint buzzing. Even through the strange detached feeling that accompanied her lack of control, Rogue felt the tingling.   
The buzzing spread to her fingers, then her hands and continued through her arms. Rogue fought the urge to scratch her skin.  
  
_Does it always feel like this?_ she asked, slightly annoyed.  
  
Erik sent her an amused smile.  
  
'Only while you are raising the shield. It will pass when it surrounds your whole body.'  
  
Rogue waited impatiently while the buzzing ran through her face, then down to her chest, further down through her legs until it finally reached the tip of her toes and her entire body hummed with energy. The buzzing increased for a moment, then faded away and Rogue sighed happily.  
  
'Rogue?' Erik asked.  
  
_Oh...yeah. Yeah, go ahead._ Rogue replied and pushed aside her momentary flicker of fear.  
  
Erik reached out and touched Kitty's cheek with infinite gentleness. The girl just mumbled something and snuggled closer.  
  
_Oh, my god..._ Rogue breathed. That was bare skin she was touching. Bare skin she was touching with an ungloved hand. She knew that Erik couldn't have lied to her about it, but up until that moment Rogue hadn't been able to think of it as possible. But this...this was all the proof she needed.  
  
Oh, God, she could learn to touch again.  
  
Rogue wasn't sure how long they stood there - it could have been seconds, it could have been minutes - but finally Erik stepped back.  
  
_No!_ Rogue objected. _Just...just a little longer, okay?_  
  
'No, child, we have to leave before someone sees us.'  
  
Rogue knew he was right but was still reluctant to let go. Sure, they would have a pretty big problem explaining what the untouchable girl was going in Kitty and Jubilee's room in the middle of the night - without gloves, no less - but this...this was touch. Just a few more seconds wouldn't hurt, would it?  
  
Erik shook his head.  
  
'We have to leave now, Rogue.'  
  
Rogue sighed.  
  
_Yeah...I know._  
  
They walked down the hallways, neither saying anything about what had just happened. It wasn't until they were inside her room that finally Rogue broke the silence.  
  
_Could ya...could ya really teach me to do that? To touch?_  
  
'Yes, I could.'  
  
_Would ya do it if I asked ya to?_  
  
Erik frowned but said nothing.  
  
_Please, teach me. I...I have to learn. I don't wanna go through my whole life without being able to touch,' she pleaded.  
  
Erik considered her words for a long moment.  
  
'I *could* teach you...but everything has its price, my dear,' he finally said.  
  
_Anything you want,_ Rogue replied without hesitation - and meant every word. She knew that technically, they were enemies. They belonged on different sides, but right now she didn't care. Erik could give her the gift of touch.   
  
That was all that mattered.  
  
"Very well. The deal is freedom for freedom, Rogue. I will set you free from your prison...if you can set me free from mine."  
  
  
***  
To Be Continued...  
  
(A/N: My, my...how did *that* happen...? ;-)  
***  
  
Join the Madness!   
Sorcieré's Madhouse - www.wolverineandrogue.com/sorciere  
  
So far today, Goddess, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent. I'm really glad about that.  
But in a few minutes, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help!  
--Author unknown  



	4. Behind the Veil

Sorry the fic's a bit late - Real Life decided to make its grand entrance and had a pretty lousy timing.  
  
  
Disclaimer: "Eat my shorts!" --- Bart Simpson  
Title: Behind the Veil  
Author: Sorcieré (hack_heaven@usa.net)   
Rating: PG-13/R  
Series: Manipulations (IV of V)  
Pairing: R/L  
Feedback: *Please*?  
Archive: My own page, WRFA, others - go ahead, as long as you mail me the addy ;-)  
Summary: Choices and consequences  
  
A/N: See? Part 4 of 5. We're getting there.  
  
To Nadja Lee - that was a damn fun trip *g*. We gotta do that again soon ;-)  
  
***  
  
Behind the Veil  
  
***  
  
Logan had imagined a lot of different 'returning-home' scenarios - he would walk through the door and Marie would fling herself into his arms. He would find her waiting outside, somehow knowing precisely when he would show up. He would return at night and find Marie asleep in his room, the blanket halfway on the floor, exposing lots of pale, soft skin, and he would slowly inch off the blanket and---damn. He did not need that mental image. His imagination was already working overtime as it was.  
  
He had imagined just about every single possible scenario, but things - as usual - did not turn out as expected.  
  
Yes, Marie *did* fling herself into his arms, but instead of chatting happily with him and drag him off to see Chuck, she hugged him tightly and moved her toxic lips dangerously close to his ear.  
  
"Cut yer chat with the X-geeks short, sugar. I *really* need to talk to ya," she whispered and quickly let go when Jean and Scott approached them.  
  
Unseen by the X-team, Logan sent Rogue a slightly confused look but the girl just shook her head slightly, meaning 'not here'.  
  
Logan really wanted to know what the hell was going on, but figured she would tell him soon enough. Instead, he just nodded and let himself be dragged off by Jean and tried to ignore the redhead's many questions.  
  
He looked back but saw that Rogue had already disappeared. He blinked slowly and shook his head in bewilderment.   
  
Just what the fuck was going on?  
  
***  
  
It took almost an hour before the X-geeks were finally done with their questions - Did he find anything? What did he find? Who had done it? What was his real name? How old was he? Were there any other mutants at the facility?  
  
Logan, though, was not about to tell them everything and instead he answered evasively or flat-out lied. A few times, he tried to ask them about Marie, but they would just continue their questions as if he hadn't said anything.  
  
After a while, Xavier seemed to realize that Logan had no intentions of revealing anything just yet, and just told him that they, the X-Men, were here if he ever wanted to talk. Logan put on a fake half-smile and nodded and had just wanted to get the hell out of there and find Marie.  
  
Then Xavier and Jean gave their 'Join the X-Men'-speech and Logan had wanted to kill something. He had no intentions of joining up with the super-geeks, damnit! He was just there for Marie!  
He didn't say that out loud, though. He had the feeling that if he did, it would take even longer before he got out of there.   
  
That was not a cheery prospect.   
  
So he just said some shit about wanting to think it over, and then got the hell outta there before they thought up any more propaganda they wanted him to hear.  
  
Damn! Were they that annoying the last time he was there?  
  
Logan shook his head to clear his thoughts, then went off to find Marie. It was about time someone gave him an explanation.   
  
***  
  
"Guess ya wanna know what's goin' on?" Rogue said when Logan found her on the rooftop.   
  
He just nodded and Rogue sighed.  
  
"Sit down, sugar. Make yerself comfortable. I think we're gonna be here for a while," she said and watched as Logan sat down next to her. He impatiently waited for her to speak, but she remained silent.  
  
"Ya wanna tell me what the fuck happened while I was away?" Logan finally asked.   
  
Rogue sent him a slight smile.  
  
"Still Mr. Politeness, I see."  
  
Logan just glared at her and she sighed again.  
  
"Well...the short version is that A) the X-Men lied to me, B) I have Erik - Magneto - in my head an' C) he can teach me how to touch if I can help 'im escape from prison," Rogue explained and counted off on her gloved fingers.  
  
Logan held out his hands.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait! Slow down. The geeks did *what*?!" he demanded.   
  
"They lied to me. Told me that they hadn't known I existed until they met us in Canada," Rogue explained. "Erik told me otherwise. They had known my exact location for months."  
  
Logan turned his head and looked at her in disbelief.  
  
"Yer tellin' me that ya actually *trust* buckethead?! Marie, the guy killed ya!"  
  
Rogue winced slightly at the memory and Logan felt a pang of guilt. Shit. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Marie. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he continued.  
  
"Shit. Listen, Marie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to brin' up any painful memories, but I just don't wanna see ya get hurt. How...how do ya even know ya can trust him?"  
  
Rogue tapped lightly on her head.  
  
"I have 'im up here, remember? I have the both of ya up here, actually. I have his memories, Logan. He can't lie to me."  
  
"Oh, shit," Logan muttered. Things were going way too fast for him right now. He shook his head to clear his mind, then tried to form a suitably reply. "Listen, darlin', do ya...have ya even *considered* what yer suggestin'? Have yer even thought about the consequences?"  
  
Rogue sent him a serious look.  
  
"Actually, sugar, I have. I've thought long and hard about it."  
  
"Then ya also know that the X-Men would kick ya outta here the moment they found out what ya had done."  
  
"Maybe. Maybe not," Rogue said and shrugged. "They think I'm too dangerous to let loose. That's why they even bothered to bring me here in the first place."  
  
"Ya don't know that for sure," Logan replied.  
  
Rogue arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Really? Look around ya, Logan. How many of the students here don't have dangerous powers?"  
  
Logan looked down at the lawn below them, where a lot of the kids were enjoying the sun. He recognized a few of them from the first time he was there - the Ice-hole who'd been interested in *his* Marie. The Flame-head. The kid who could walk through walls.   
  
Logan frowned, and looked more closely. A girl in a yellow jacket was firing some sort of sparks from her fingertip, apparently trying to hit a boy who was defending himself with glowing, exploding cards. A blue-furred kid disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared between two girls.  
  
Logan turned to Rogue, who merely sent him a inquiring look.  
  
"Well?" she asked.  
  
Logan's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.  
  
"Go on," he said.  
  
Rogue nodded at the lawn.   
  
"Not all mutants have as spectacular a power as the kids on this school do. Actually, it's pretty damn rare to have any sort of 'useful' power like Cyke or Storm or us. Most mutants either have some relatively weak powers or just look differently. How many of those do ya see here?"  
  
Logan didn't answer. He didn't have to.  
  
"Thought so," Rogue said satisfied.  
  
She paused for a moment before she continued.  
  
"The X-Men don't care about me. They care about my powers an' my potential an' the fact that I might join the enemy if I was left on my own. But they don't care about me."  
  
Logan looked at her for a long time, feeling the first little pieces of the puzzle fall into place.  
  
"An' the geeks don't know a way to control yer skin?"  
  
Rogue shrugged.  
  
"Maybe they do. But if that's the case, they don't intent to tell me. The Professor and Jean told me that I would probably never be able to touch anyone again - ever."  
  
"But buckethead is willing to teach ya," Logan summarized.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Sound to me like ya have already made yer decision."  
  
"I have," Rogue admitted.  
  
Logan sighed.  
  
"An' where'd ya plan to go if the geeks *did* kick ya out?" he asked. "Ya plannin' to hit the road again? Bad idea, darlin'."  
  
Rogue looked down and chewed nervously on her lower lip.  
  
"Actually...I was kinda hopin' I could leave with ya," she admitted.  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow and barely managed to stop himself from doing a victory-dance. She wanted to be with him. It wasn't a declaration of heartfelt love, but it was definitely a beginning.  
  
"An' what makes ya think I'm gonna leave?"  
  
Rogue tapped lightly on her head again.  
  
"Yer up here, too, remember? I know ya, Logan. Yer don't like to stay in one place for too long. 'Sides, yer just as annoyed with the X-Men as I am."  
  
She shook her head, still refusing to meet his eyes.  
  
"Please, Logan. I can't do this alone."  
  
Logan remained silent for a long moment, just thinking everything through. Then he reached out and lifted her chin gently with a gloved hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. Rogue's eyes widened slightly and Logan saw her very soul reflected in the depths of those deep brown lakes. Determination, hope, annoyance, resignation and beneath it all, a desperate longing for something - someone - she'd feared would never return.   
  
Logan smiled slightly and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He could smell the faint scent of anticipation on her as he draped her thin scarf across the lower half of her face.  
  
Then he leaned down and kissed her.  
  
Even through the scarf, her lips were as soft as he'd imagined. He pulled her closer and Rogue moaned and opened her mouth to allow him access. Their tongues locked in an intimate dance, mimicking the way their bodies longed to be joined.  
Logan put his hands on her hips and moved his fingers around in small, teasing circles, each time getting just a little bit closer to the junction of her legs. Rogue whimpered and their kiss deepened.  
The smell of arousal hung heavy in the air and Logan felt his body harden in response.  
  
Shit.  
  
Logan pulled back.  
  
Control. He had to control himself.  
  
The Wolverine would have ravished Marie right there on the roof, but - tempting as it was - Logan was not going to do that. They were in a public place - the door to the roof was unlocked and they could easily be seen from the ground. They could be discovered any moment and that was not a chance they could afford to take.  
  
Logan looked at Rogue's flushed face and read the question in her eyes.  
  
"If Scooter or Jeannie showed up now, we would have one hell of a problem explainin' what we were doin'," he whispered and ran his fingers through her silky hair.  
  
Rogue's eyes widened slightly and she mouthed an 'oh'.  
  
Logan continued to stroke her hair and smiled as she leaned into his touch. They remained like that for a long time, both wondering about the past and the present, considering their future, thinking everything through until they had every possible option, every possible consequence mapped out in their minds. Neither spoke until they knew every risk they might or might not have to take, until they knew exactly what consequences their choice would have.  
  
"Logan?" Rogue finally asked and looked at him.  
  
Logan knew the meaning of the question. He stroked her white streaks and thought about the previous months. He'd been at the brink of destruction and she'd brought him back. Her reaction to their kiss had shown him that she needed him as much as he needed her. She had told him her innermost secrets - her name, her past, her true self - and put her life in his hands. She trusted him.  
  
She was his future. And he wasn't going to lose her.  
  
He looked into her eyes and made his choice.  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
  
***  
  
To Be Concluded...  
  
***  
  
Join the Madness!   
Sorcieré's Madhouse - www.wolverineandrogue.com/sorciere  



	5. Definition of Betrayal

Disclaimer: "Eat my shorts!" --- Bart Simpson  
Title: Definition Of Betrayal (Manipulations V)  
Author: Sorcieré (hack_heaven@usa.net)   
Rating: PG-13  
Series: Manipulations (V of V)  
Pairing: R/L  
Archive: My own page, WRFA, others - go ahead, as long as you mail me the addy ;-)  
Summary: "Black and white merge into gray, the lines of friend and foe swept away, past and present together play."  
  
A/N: I'm done with this series! Finally!...So? What do you think? Good? Bad? Worse than a twenty-four hours B-movie marathon? Drop me a line (or more ;-) and tell me what you thought of it :-)  
  
'...' Erik's thoughts  
_..._ Rogue's thoughts  
  
***  
  
Definition Of Betrayal  
  
***  
  
It had been so easy.  
  
That was Rogue's first realization as she conveyed her and Logan's decision to Erik.   
All it had taken had been a conversation consisting of five small words -   
  
'Well?'  
  
_Yes. We'll do it._  
  
- Five small words, but with them they had reached a point of no return.   
  
It was actually kind of funny, in some strange, depraved way. Rogue had always thought that decisions like that would be followed of some grand sign - a crash of thunder, a tidal wave, an earthquake - *something* to warn people - the X-Men in this case - of the danger that had just entered their midst.   
  
But there was nothing. Only a cold determination as Rogue finally knew beyond doubt what she was meant to do. She knew that at some level she should have been ashamed of herself - she was about to turn on the people who'd given her food and shelter when she needed it most - but found that she wasn't.   
The though of betrayal didn't even bother her. Yes, she *had* been raised as a good, southern girl and had heard her grandfather tell stories about war-heroes, but now as she found herself taking the path of death and betrayal, she realized just how much she'd been deceiving herself.   
  
Life was so much more fun when you didn't have insignificant details like ethics and morality to worry about.  
  
The thought would have horrified the Marie of two years ago, but now...now was a completely different matter. Marie had become the Rogue. She was just beginning to stretch her wings but had already found the taste of freedom so very addictive.  
  
Like Logan, like Erik, Rogue had found that if she broke loose of the chains of society, only the sky was the limit.  
  
Of course, there was still the small matter of her and Logan's part of the deal, but really...if their reward was to be able to touch each other...the price didn't matter.   
  
"So? What's the plan?" Logan asked once they had retreated to the privacy of Rogue's room. "We walk to the front door an' blast the thing to hell, or what?"  
  
Rogue shrugged.  
  
"Let's find out."  
  
_Well?_ she inquired.  
  
Erik smiled slightly.  
  
'Entertaining as it might be, a direct attack would accomplish nothing, child. In fact, if we play our cards right, neither of you will even have to be near the prison.'  
  
Rogue nodded slightly.  
  
_Go on._  
  
'I am not altogether sure you will like this part, but you will need to coordinate your actions with Mystique.'  
  
_What?!_  
  
'I know Raven, my dear. She most likely has the perfect escape planned, but is waiting for the right time to strike. The X-Men are quite a hindrance to her - after all, they could be outside the prison within minutes because of their Blackbird.'   
  
_An' that's what ya want us to do,_ Rogue guessed. _Sabotage the Blackbird an' keep the X-Men outta the equation._  
  
'Yes.'  
  
Rogue nodded. It sounded reasonable enough.   
  
-An' how're we gonna find Mystique?_ she asked. _She don't know 'bout our deal an' I don't think she's very eager to trust us._  
  
Erik paused.  
  
'There is a nightclub in New York called 'Aphrodition' - it is a rather exclusive one. Raven...bought it some years ago. It is quite possible that she will be there - or at least someone in the club will know where she is.'  
  
_She's not with Toad an' Sabretooth?_ Rogue asked surprised.  
  
'Most likely not. She probably keeps in touch with them, though, and can call them in with a moment's notice if she decides to attack the prison.'  
  
_An' how are we gonna convince her that she can trust us? Theoretically, we're on different sides, remember?_  
  
'I'm afraid I'll have to borrow your body again, my dear,' Erik replied. 'If I can talk to her directly, there is a fair chance that she will believe us.'  
  
Rogue considered his words, then nodded.  
  
_I can accept that._  
  
***  
  
"'Aphrodition', huh?" Logan remarked after Rogue had told him about Erik's plan.  
  
"Yeah," Rogue said. "Apparently, it's pretty exclusive."  
  
"I've heard of it. We could get there in about half an hour if we use Cyke's bike," Logan replied.  
  
"Then we'll go tomorrow. It's the weekly movie-night an' most of the students - an' the teachers - will be in the rec. room," Rogue told him.  
  
Logan nodded. With most of the school gathered in one room, there wouldn't be anyone to ask them unpleasant questions...and hopefully, Scooter would never notice that they had borrowed his bike. Sure, Logan would have preferred to steal the bike right in front of its owner - it was a great chance to piss Cyke off - but in this case it would be better to do it silently. No need to make anyone suspicious, after all.  
  
"Tomorrow," he agreed.  
  
He leaned back in Rogue's bed and looked around the room. For someone Marie's age, it was strangely empty. No posters on the walls, no teddy bears on the bed, and only the most essential things in front of the mirror.  
  
"Didn't ya say ya were sharing a room with two girl?" he asked.  
  
Rogue chewed a little on her lower lip.  
  
"I kinda...well, I was. The Professor thought it would be better for me to have my own room - ya know, 'cause of the whole 'poison-skin' an' all."  
  
"So he just kicked ya outta ya old room?" Logan demanded. When he left six months ago, he'd thought that the geeks would have been able to take care of his girl. Now he was wondering just how he'd been able to misread them that much.   
  
Rogue shrugged.  
  
"I don't mind. Like this room better," she said. Then she ran a delicate finger up and down his arms and sent him a suggestive look. "An' ya know...the door to this room even has a lock..."  
  
Logan caught her gloved hand and smirked slightly.   
  
"Then why don't we use it?"  
  
***  
  
One of the first things Rogue had learned at the mansion was that movie-nights at Mutant High were quite an experience. And not one she'd care to repeat too often - one of the main reasons being that she still had a bit of Logan's heightened senses left.   
  
There was always so much noise! Before the movie began, people were running back and forth, carrying candy and popcorn and Cokes. The whole room was buzzing with activity - tables and couches being moved around, people talking and laughing - and when the movie finally began, it was way too loud for her ears.   
  
It was driving her crazy.  
  
Already during one of the very first days, she'd decided to stay far away during that Wednesday movie-night - being in the rec. room with the rest of the students made her feel trapped and afraid that someone might accidentally touch her and quite frankly her ears felt like someone was hammering five-inch nails into them.  
  
So Rogue had long ago decided to explore the mansion instead and she'd found that Wednesday night was the perfect time to do things she didn't want others to know about.  
  
Now, she used that knowledge to get her and Logan out of the mansion undetected.  
  
Little more than twenty-four hours after Logan had returned, they found themselves sneaking out of the mansion. Or actually...not really sneaking. The noise from the rec. room was so loud that they could probably have raced around on the bike inside, and no one would have noticed.  
  
Logan winced as they got outside and shook his head.  
  
"Damn! They do that *every* week?" he asked and rubbed his temples. His healing factor had already taken care of the headache, but it still hurt like hell.  
  
"Yeah," Rogue replied. "I used to spend most of the Wednesday nights outside the mansion or in my room."  
  
Logan nodded understanding, then motioned towards the garage.  
  
"Come on," he said. "I think I heard Scooter park the bike in here."  
  
Rogue followed Logan into the empty garage.  
  
"There it is," she said and pointed at Scott's bike.  
  
Logan quickly inspected it. It was polished - no surprise, considering just how much Scott seemed to love that bike - and it looked in considerably better shape than when Logan had returned. He smiled and let a hand rest on the smooth metal, barely noticing Rogue's frantic search of the tables around them.  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
Logan looked up.  
  
"What's wrong, darlin'?" he asked.  
  
"Cyke has the key," was Rogue's angry reply.  
  
Logan just smirked.  
  
"So? I knew Scooter would be paranoid enough to take the key with 'im this time, so I got an extra made in Canada," he said and held up a shiny, new key.  
  
Rogue grinned as they got on the bike.  
  
"Have I ever mentioned that I love the way ya think?"  
  
Unnoticed by anyone, the two of them raced out of the garage, towards the myriad of lights of New York City.  
  
***  
  
If one should describe 'Aphrodition' with one word, it was Blue. Capital 'B'. To those who had seen Mystique's real shape, it was obvious that the club reflected its owner - or at least the way she looked. The neon-sign was a warm bluish-purple. The doors were indigo. When someone walked in or out of the crowded club, Rogue and Logan caught a glint of furniture or decorations in every imaginable shade of blue. Even the lights had a tingle of turquoise.  
  
"Well, it's certainly...blue," Rogue finally said.  
  
Logan just snorted, no doubt remembering his fight against Mystique some six months ago.  
  
'There's a backdoor, child. Use it.'  
  
Rogue nodded.  
  
"Erik says there's a backdoor," she relayed. "Might as well use it. I don't think we'd get in otherwise."  
  
Logan looked at the crowd outside the club and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me."  
  
They waited until no one looked in their direction, then disappeared into a dark alley. Logan waited a moment until his eyes got used to the darkness, then looked around.  
  
"There," he said and nodded towards a metal-door, partially hidden in the shadows.  
  
He quickly examined it.  
  
"Steel, I think. Some hard metal, anyway. Electronic lock...we'll need a code," he decided, then smirked. "Or these," he said and popped his claws on one hand.  
  
Erik sighed mentally.  
  
'Tell Wolverine to put those away. I have a better way to do this. Oh, and do warn him that I will take over now. Let's try to prevent any...unfortunate incidents.'  
  
_Okay._  
  
"Logan," Rogue said. "I'm gonna let Erik take over now, okay? He knows an easier way in."  
  
Logan looked at bit doubtful, still not comfortable with the thought of Magneto in control of Marie's body, but finally he gave in and moved away from the door.  
  
Rogue felt Erik's presence move to the front of her mind with much more ease than the first time. This time there was no uncertainty in his movements, no hesitation as he seized control. This time, Rogue doubted that she would even be able to fight him back if it came to that.  
  
Erik took a step forward and put his hand on the lock. In the outer reaches of her mind, Rogue felt a surge of power as Erik twisted and turned the wires behind the steel plate. The smell of burned plastic and overheated wires reached her nose and settled as an unpleasant taste in her mouth.  
  
Then the door swung open and they stepped inside a small hallway.  
  
"This way," Erik said and headed down the hallway, followed by a reluctant Logan.  
  
Erik stopped in front of a thick wooden door and walked inside without bothering to knock.  
  
In the middle of the room stood a large desk, partially covered in papers. Behind it sat a beautiful redhead in her late twenties.   
  
'Mystique,' Erik told Rogue.  
  
Rogue saw a brief flicker of surprise in Mystique's eyes, then the shape-shifter's confident facade was back up.  
  
"Ahh...Wolverine and Rogue. So good to see you again. Tell me, where are the rest of Xavier's little pets?"  
  
Logan growled, but Erik held out a hand.  
  
"No. I'll take care of this."  
  
He looked at Mystique.  
  
"Raven, my dear. Beautiful as always. Tell me, do you still have that irrational distaste of clothing?" he asked.  
  
Raven stood up.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.  
  
Erik sighed.  
  
"Listen closely, my dear, because we haven't got all night. For the time being, this body does not belong to Rogue, but to me, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr. I came here to make a deal on behalf of these two," he explained and indicated Wolverine and the body he was currently controlling.  
  
Mystique's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Prove it. I have a scar on my right arm - how did I get it?"  
  
Personally, Rogue was amazed at how easily the shape-shifter seemed to accept their crazy explanation.   
  
'She knows how your mutation works, Rogue. She know that my presence would remain in your mind for a long time,' Erik explained, the focused on Mystique.  
  
"A member of FOH shot you while you were working undercover - and the scar is on your right leg," Erik replied. "Do you want further evidence? Perhaps the name of the man who shot you?"  
  
"How?" Mystique demanded.  
  
"Rogue here graciously allowed me to borrow her body for a while," Erik explained and smiled slightly. "In return, I offered her something not even the X-Men could give her: Control."  
  
Mystique seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded slowly.   
  
"Very well. You said they wanted to make a deal with me...what kind of a deal are we talking about?"  
  
"It's rather simple, actually. I - the presence in her mind, that is - will teach her how to touch and in return, they will make sure the X-Men won't show up when you attack the prison."  
  
Mystique looked at them with renewed interest.  
  
"The X-Men brought down...not by the Brotherhood, but by two of their own. How very appropriate," she said and smiled slightly.  
  
"Indeed," Erik agreed. "All you will have to do is name the date you intend to attack - these two here will ensure that the Blackbird will not take off. And without their little toy-plane, the X-Men will never arrive in time."  
  
Mystique nodded.  
  
"Good."  
  
She then turned to Logan.  
  
"And what about you, Wolverine? I understand Rogue - her reward is touch. But how about you? What's the price for *your* loyalty?"  
  
Logan glared at her.  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
"Yes," Mystique replied with unusual honesty. "People who has something to gain are usually far more loyal than those who hasn't."  
  
Logan growled.  
  
"My 'price' is the fact that I'll be able to touch Marie. I'll be able to touch her an' I won't have to justify our relationship to the X-geeks. Happy now?"  
  
"Yes," Mystique said. "Now I am."  
  
Apparently, so was Erik, as he let Rogue take control of her body again. Rogue cleared her head just in time to see Mystique turn around and pace up and down the floor. Finally, after several long, silent minutes, the shape-shifter made up her mind.  
  
"The day after tomorrow. One-fifteen a.m. At that time most of the guards have gone home and only the night-shift is left."  
  
"We'll make sure ya won't be interrupted," Rogue promised.  
  
Mystique just nodded, and Rogue and Logan headed for the door. They were only a few feet away from it when Mystique addressed them again.  
  
"If you ever need someplace to go..." she said and let the rest hang unspoken in the air.  
  
Rogue smile slightly.  
  
"Thanks. We'll keep that option in mind."  
  
Without looking back, the two of them disappeared into the night.  
  
***  
  
They drove back in silence, both of them absorbed in thoughts. Up until the meeting with Mystique, this whole thing had seemed almost...unreal. It wasn't that they were particular sorry to turn on the X-Men, it was just that they found it strange to suddenly work *with* the Brotherhood, instead of against it.  
  
They reached the mansion shortly before the movie ended, and noticed with a certain satisfaction that no one had even discovered their sudden disappearance.   
  
The two of them hurried past the rec. room, then made their way to Rogue's room.  
  
Rogue locked the door and collapsed on the bed.  
  
"Two days," she mumbled.   
  
Logan smiled and sat down next to her.  
  
"That's plenty of time. Won't take long to pack our stuff. Friday night, we'll wait until the geeks are asleep an' then we'll do a little creative surgery on the flying tin-can."  
  
Rogue giggled.  
  
"Cyke would be pissed if he heard ya say that."  
  
Logan smirked.  
  
"Well, that's just too fuckin' bad."  
  
He stood up and kissed Rogue briefly, just a moment too fast for her mutation to react.  
  
"Better leave before Scooter gets suspicious," he mumbled. "'Night, darlin'."  
  
Rogue smiled.  
  
"'Night, sugar."  
  
***  
  
Between packing their things and planning where to go - all the while doing their best to keep up their masquerade - the two days passed quickly for Rogue and Logan.   
  
It was much like a game, Rogue concluded. Each move carefully planned, every option considered. It was a game, and one of the few she and Logan enjoyed. And with a little luck, they would win it.  
  
As Friday arrived, Rogue felt a surge of anticipation - in a way, this was the culmination of half a year of planning. This was the fruit of her and Erik's agreement.   
  
Freedom.   
  
And as darkness fell over the mansion and silence reigned, she quickly dressed, then grabbed her bag and headed for the garage.  
  
***  
  
She found Logan outside the door, almost invisible in the darkness. He looked up as he heard her approach.   
  
"Ya ready, darlin?" he asked.  
  
Rogue nodded and Logan drove a claw through the lock and forced the door open. Rogue reached out and turned on the light, then quickly closed her eyes as the sudden brightness sent a stab of pain through her head.  
  
They waited a few moments until their eyes had grown accustomed to the light, then crossed the room.  
  
'Over there, in the corner. There is a service shaft that leads to the lower levels.' Erik reported. They had decided not to use the elevator - first of all, the lower levels would be locked off at this time and if they tried to force their way in, they might trigger an alarm. Secondly, the backup-system to the gates was located in the garage. This way, everything they needed to escape was within reach and they wouldn't have to run through the entire building to get out.  
  
Logan and Rogue reached the shaft and with the swipe of a claw, Logan got rid of the plate that covered the entrance.  
  
They exchanged a look, and then Logan climbed down the small metal latter, followed by Rogue. They continued their descend in the dark until Logan spotted a plate similar to the one in the garage. With a few swipes with a claw, it fell to the floor and Logan made his way into the underground garage.   
  
He blinked and looked around. Hopefully, his night-sight would enable him to find out where the hell the switch to the lights was. The thought of sabotaging the Blackbird in complete darkness did not appeal to him.  
  
"Got it!" he whispered to Rogue and walked to the door. He frowned at the sight of the many switches, then shrugged and pushed a few at random. Around him, various lamps came to life and covered the room in a clinical, white glow.  
  
Logan heard a noise and saw Rogue climb out of the shaft. She looked around, then grabbed a hammer.  
  
"Well...let's get to work," she said and winced at the way her voice echoed in the room.  
  
Logan nodded and unsheathed his claws. Together, they made their way to the black plane in the center of the room. Rogue raised an eyebrow. They X-Men had actually left the door to the plane open. Idiots.  
  
Oh, well. Their loss...her gain.  
  
"I'll take the controls," she whispered. She was fairly sure that no one would hear them, but she couldn't help it. Those echoes were just unnerving.  
  
Logan nodded and watched her climb inside the plane. Then he drove his claws into the side of the plane, pleased to find that it offered no more resistance than a sardine-can. He cut a deep hole down the side of the plane, then forced the engine open and tore the wires out.  
  
Meanwhile, Rogue had stopped to consider the control-panel. She weighed the hammer in her hand, then decided that it was heavy enough, seeing as the controls looked pretty fragile.  
  
***  
  
Five minutes later, the place looked like a war-zone.  
  
Only glass-splinters and small wires were left of the sophisticated instruments in the plane. The windows were broken. The plane itself had deep claw-marks along its side. From the engine hung dozens of loose wires and cables.   
  
Rogue and Logan stepped back to consider their work.  
  
"I don't think it'll take off in the next couple of months," Logan finally said.  
  
Rogue grinned.  
  
"That's the idea," she said and tossed the hammer on the floor.  
  
They made their way to the shaft and Rogue was already halfway up when Logan suddenly climbed back down.  
  
"What're ya doin'?" Rogue asked.  
  
Logan grinned.  
  
"Trust me," he replied. "Just keep climbin', I'll be there in a few moments."  
  
Rogue shrugged and continued up. She reached the garage and sat down on the floor with a relieved sigh. A few minutes later, Logan joined her.  
  
Rogue raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well? Out with it, sugar."  
  
Logan smirked.  
  
"I turned the light off. They won't notice anything is wrong until they turn the light back on."  
  
Rogue grinned.  
  
"That's evil, Logan!"  
  
Logan shrugged and grinned smugly.  
  
"Gotta live up to my reputation, darlin'."  
  
He looked around.   
  
"Where've they hidden the keys?" he asked.   
  
Rogue stood up and walked to a heavy metal box that hung on a wall.   
  
"Here. Apparently, Cyke thinks it's a safe place to keep 'em."  
  
Logan snorted and cut the box open.   
  
"Idiots," he mumbled.  
  
Rogue nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, but that's their problem."  
  
She spotted the backup-system to the gates and opened it. She paused for a moment, then forced down the handle that was marked 'power'. Small lamps lit up inside the box and Rogue pushed the button that said 'garage doors'.  
  
Behind them, the heavy doors swung open and revealed a dark, cloudy sky. Rogue smiled and pushed the button marked 'gates' and hoped it would work just as fine as the first one had.  
  
Logan grinned and held up a key.  
  
"The jeep," he said and nodded towards a dark gray shape near the doors. Rogue threw their luggage on the backseat and was about to get in when something caught her attention.  
  
"Logan, did ya-?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard it, too," he replied grimly. "Somebody's coming."  
  
He sniffed.  
  
"Smells like Jean."  
  
Rogue swore.  
  
"Fuck!"   
  
"Easy, darlin'," Logan said. "She doesn't read people's minds unless Chuck orders her to do it, does she?"  
  
"No, but..."  
  
"Good. Stay in the corner where she can't see ya. When she's completely focused on me, then distract her. Make her look at ya, or the door, or anywhere else but me, got it? I'll take care of her."  
  
Rogue nodded and hi in the shadows. Mere moments later, Jean entered the garage.  
  
"Logan? What are you doing here?" she asked surprised.  
  
"Wanted to go for a ride," Logan replied. "What are *you* doin' here?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep, but-" she stopped and stared at the bags in the jeep. "Logan? What's going on?"  
  
Rogue stepped forward.  
  
"Hey, Dr. Grey."  
  
Jean spun around.  
  
"Rogue? What is the meaning of this? You're not-"  
  
Whatever she might have said was cut short as Logan crept up behind her and knocked her unconscious.  
  
"Sorry, Jeannie," he mumbled, then looked at Rogue.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Rogue blinked, but didn't waste the time with pointless questions. Logan had done what needed to be done, end of story.  
  
They got in the jeep and raced through the gates and into the safety of the darkness, ignoring the alarms that tore through the silence of the mansion. Rogue turned her head and watched the lights go off in the old building. By now, Cyclops and Storm would probably be up. Cyclops would be wondering were Jean was. The students would wonder what had happened. The Professor would scan the mansion and find Jean unconscious and their two newest recruits missing. And in about two minutes, Cyclops or Storm would hurry to the garage to prepare the Blackbird for take-off and find the plane in a very bad shape.   
  
Rogue laughed.   
  
This was ultimate freedom. And she loved it.  
  
***  
  
Epilogue  
A motel somewhere in Canada  
  
"...According to police, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, is still on the loose after his escape from a high-security prison last Friday. If you have any information about the escape or the whereabouts of this mutant, please call the number shown on the screen. Do not try to approach him on your own as he is armed and dangerous. The escape was-"  
  
The reporter was cut off mid-sentence when Logan turned off the TV and tossed the remote control on the table.   
  
So bucket-head was still free.   
  
Logan briefly wondered what the X-Men were planning to do about that, but decided that it didn't matter. Sure, there was a war coming, but the issue of sides didn't concern him anymore. He and Marie had made their decision and they'd just have to live with the consequences.   
  
Logan sat down on the bed and stroked Marie's hair. She was beautiful woman when she was awake, but sleep gave her a soft, vulnerable expression that never failed to amaze him. That, and the fact that she'd taken to sleeping nude.  
  
When the mind-Erik, or whatever she'd called it, gave her access to the memories she needed, it had taken her less than two days before she was able to keep up her shield without any conscious effort. After four days she was able to keep it up around the clock, even while sleeping.  
  
Logan caressed her cheek and smiled as she leaned into his touch. That alone made their betrayal worth it...if it even *was* betrayal. Logan frowned. Was it really betrayal if they had never believed in the X-Men's grand cause to begin with?  
  
It didn't matter. They were together and they could touch. Screw the rest.  
  
Logan kissed Marie on the top of her head, then lay down next to her and went back to sleep.  
  
  
***  
  
The End  
  
***  
  
Join the Madness!   
Sorcieré's Madhouse - www.wolverineandrogue.com/sorciere  



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